The number of tourists visiting Larnaca during the summer season this year is expected to number around 400,000, according to the town’s mayor Andreas Vyras.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Vyras said “Larnaca is not a summer destination par excellence, since this is a destination for all 12 months of the year. This is due to both the short distances and the new hotels which were built in the town”.
He added that Larnaca did “quite well” over the summer in terms of hotel occupancy rates, almost reaching the numbers seen in 2019. “We had numbers of visitors from various countries such as Israel and Poland, which have made up for the loss of the market from Russia and Ukraine”.
To this end, he said, “one of the most important strategic goals of the town and the district is the development of tourism, for which in previous years, Larnaca did not have its share”.
He added that “tourism is not only sun and sea, but also monuments, history, and culture”.
The number of tourists visiting Larnaca has almost doubled since 2016, with Vyras explaining the various initiatives taken to increase and diversify tourism in the town.
He said “the electronic mapping of museums, the electronic tour of various monuments and other initiatives are very important actions” for the purpose of bringing more tourists to the town.
In addition, he said “we are optimistic that with the new hotels and beds which are constantly growing in number in our town, Larnaca will have its fair share of the tourism industry”.